diff --git a/src/devices/stm32/bus/i2c.cpp b/src/devices/stm32/bus/i2c.cpp
index 4c9deba..98e8e08 100644
--- a/src/devices/stm32/bus/i2c.cpp
+++ b/src/devices/stm32/bus/i2c.cpp
@@ -144,9 +144,11 @@ namespace sta
 		/* The address is bit-shifted by one to work properly for the STM32 HAL. */
 		: I2CDevice(intf, address << 1, master, blocking)
 	{
+#ifdef STA_ASSERT_ENABLED
 		intf->acquire();
 		STA_ASSERT(intf->hasAddress(address));
 		intf->release();
+#endif // STA_ASSERT_ENABLED
 	}
 
 } // namespace sta